


Lost in Translation

by naughty_sock



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crack Treated Seriously, Inappropriate Use of the Force, M/M, Mildly Dubious Consent, Mpreg, Pre-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Sort Of, Tentacle Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-08-28 17:55:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16728174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/naughty_sock/pseuds/naughty_sock
Summary: With Ben becoming more withdrawn and volatile every day, a desperate Luke latches onto the hope that an ancient cleansing ritual will rid Ben of the voice he claims to hear inside his head.Though when he, Ben, and Poe embark on an excursion to an ancient Jedi temple in order to preform said ritual, translating the instructions proofs not only more difficult than he anticipated, but also leads to some unexpected results.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Fairleigh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fairleigh/gifts).



**Seven Days _After_ the Ritual**

 

Poe tossed and turned on the narrow bedding.

_You have been silent for some time. I wonder that you would turn your back on the only person who has been honest with you._

_I am your grandfather, Ben. Let me help you achieve greatness that is not mired in the failure of your parents._

_They abandoned you._

_I know how you feel. My own mother gave me away when I was just a boy – cast me aside as if I did not matter. I know how it feels to have expectations foisted upon you that no child should have to bear – to be asked to conform to rules that chafe at the very fiber of your soul. You need to find the strength to make your own way._

_Talk to me. Let me help you cast off the ties that bind you to the past._

The gentleness of the voice that whispered through Poe's dreams was as inescapable as the broiling darkness that lingered in its wake.

He awoke in a cold sweat to Luke clattering with the pots and pans in the hut's small cooking area.

"I really hope this is going to play out the way you think it will," Poe said with a groan as he swept his damp curls out of his eyes. He stared at the merrily crackling flames in the cooking pit. Though the fire had been burning throughout the night, it had failed to chase away the dampness that permeated the stone walls.

"And a good morning to you as well, grumpy. How are you feeling?"

Poe placed a hand on his round belly. "Bloated," he said with an air of resignation. “I suppose you've been dreaming of Vader, too?”

Luke's mouth compressed into a thin line. “Yes. Insidious bastard, isn't he? Weaving his lies around just enough morsels of truth to make them sound believable. Anakin's mother didn't abandon him. He wanted to leave with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan.”

Waddling over to him, his robe stretching awkwardly over his own pregnant girth, Luke handed him a cup of tea.

Poe blew across the surface of the steaming liquid. It was hard to believe that it had only been seven days since they'd arrived at the abandoned Jedi enclave.

Meanwhile, Luke was pushing his hands against the small of his back as he stood next to the fire pit. His mouth was pressed into a thin line.

"Are you alright?" Poe asked, with a hint of worry.

"I'm too old for this," Luke said.

"Well, if you're right, neither one of us will have to deal with this much longer," he said and took a sip of his tea. "How much time do you think–"

"Today," Luke interrupted him with a sudden wince. He braced one hand on the table and bent forward, his other hand pressing lightly against his abdomen. "I've been having contractions for the past ten minutes. I don't think you'll be far behind."

Poe almost choked on his tea. He looked down at his belly, his feelings ambivalent.

"This is really happening then?"

Luke nodded with a resigned air.

Poe poked curiously at the bulging curve of his midsection. There hadn't really been enough time to become protective of whatever it was that was growing inside of him. Especially since, in spite of the fact that Luke had been studying Jedi texts and databases nonstop for the past week, they still didn't know for sure with what exactly they were even pregnant.

Ben's human child? A reincarnation of Vader? A baby octopus? An eldritch abomination? The information they'd been able to find had been dishearteningly inconclusive.

"Do you think Ben knows?" he asked hesitantly.

Luke looked out the tiny window and squinted at the sun rising above the sea. "He will be here."

 

* * *

 

**Seven Hours _Before_ the Ritual**

 

"I can't believe he roped you into this," Ben said as he sulked in the co-pilot's chair. "We could have flown to the temple site on our own. It's not as if Luke and I don't know how to pilot a shuttle."

Poe rolled his eyes at him. "Why don't you think of me as moral support?"

"I don't need moral support. I need someone to believe me," Ben said quietly.

Poe cast a quick glance his way before he flicked a couple of switches, putting the controls on autopilot. He turned to Ben, his usually easygoing manner uncommonly serious.

"Ben, I came because I _do_ believe you. And so does Luke. We want to help you."

Ben couldn't quite meet his gaze. A hint of color settled into his pale cheeks as he picked idly at the fraying fabric of his cloak. His jaw moved as if he was trying to chew the words and swallow them back down rather than say them out loud.

"What is it?" Poe asked.

Ben pressed his lips into a thin line. "It's just that I've been trying to get Luke – or anyone really – to believe me for so long, I don't know what to do now that he's finally taking me seriously."

Poe hesitated for a moment. Whereas Poe would wrap his arms around anyone for the simple reason of being glad to see them, Ben had never been comfortable with physical affection. Poe didn't really think that had changed in the year since they'd seen each other.

In the end, he settled for giving Ben's shoulder a playful shove.

"Hey, it'll be okay," he said.

Ben didn't look convinced.

"You don't know what it's like inside my head," he said bitterly. There was a slight break in his voice, and he quickly got to his feet.

"This is never going to work. You can't help me. You're just wasting your time." Without another look, Ben left the cockpit.

Knowing from experience that it was useless to chase after him, Poe let him go. He watched Ben's retreating back, his chest feeling too tight.

He had a bad feeling about this.

 

* * *

 

**Five Days _A_ _fter_ the Ritual**

 

"My feet hurt, my back is in agony, and I have to pee every five minutes. This is ridiculous."

Luke sighed. "It's a discomfort mammalian species have born since the dawn of time, so deal with it."

Poe ground his teeth together and continued down the narrow path to the shore. His balance was off, and he had to tread carefully as he navigated the steepest section. He braced his hands against lichen-covered boulders to steady himself.

Ahead of him, Luke had already reached the rocky shore and followed his slow progress with unsympathetic eyes. His tunic was too short to cover his protruding belly, and he'd fastened his long cloak over it in order to protect himself from the stiff breeze that blew across the tide pools and whistled through the caves beyond.

When Poe finally reached the bottom of the hillside, he thrust his belly out and put his shoulders back to relieve the ache that had settled in the lower half of his spinal cord.

"If I'd know how this trip would end, I would have turned you down flat," he grumbled.

Luke regarded him solemnly for a moment before he slung his arm across Poe's shoulder. "No, you wouldn't have."

Poe snorted as they made their way toward the water. "You don't know that."

"I think that there are very few things that you wouldn't do for Ben," Luke replied. "And I am grateful for it."

Poe eyed him warily. "I can't help but notice that you are very carefully not saying 'I told you so.' Is this annoying focus on the positives a Jedi thing?"

"It a Skywalker-Organa-Solo thing, I'm afraid. And it usually works out pretty well for us," he replied with a smirk.

Luke closed his eyes, and though Poe was as sensitive to the Force as a fish was to the turning of the winds, he felt whatever was growing inside him stir as Luke called on the Force. He placed a hand against his belly to get a better feel for the motion. It wasn't a kick as one might expect from a baby, but rather an undulating wave rippling through him.

Poe sighed. Both his and Luke's stomachs were growing rapidly. Just this morning, he hadn't been able to close the fastening of his pants, and now, close to midday, there was a gap spanning the width of two of his fingers between the fastenings.

He supposed that he should find some consolation in the fact that the Force wasn't going to draw this pregnancy out for more than a week, but the fact that none of them had any idea what came after was a constant worry in the back of Poe's mind.

Still unaccustomed to the changed weight and shape of their bodies, it took some maneuvering before they managed to sit down in a comfortable position on the flat rocks of the promontory that bisected the bay. After taking off their shoes and rolling up their pants, they dangled their feet in the water and waited.

They didn't have to wait long.

A thick tentacle brushed against the sole of Poe's foot, and he leaned forward as best as he could to look at the shadow rising towards the surface.

Ben's head emerged slowly, and Poe sucked in a sharp breath. The long strands of black hair and the shape of his face were the only thing about Ben that looked human anymore. Whatever transformation the Force was working on him, it consumed him as fast as their pregnancy progressed.

Luke swallowed hard. "Oh, Ben," he said softly.

The large cephalopod that had once been his nephew turned to him and extended a long, dark tentacle to rest it gently against his uncle's face.

Luke patted the limb reassuringly. "It won't be long now. I promise. It'll be alright."

Poe kept his mouth shut. Even though he knew that Luke just made a promise that he didn't know he could keep, there was no reason to dash Ben's hope.

He extended his hand and waited for Ben to reach for him. He and Luke had come down to the shore every day since Ben had taken to the sea, and it always played out the same way. Poe reaching out, and Ben hesitant to touch him.

Poe swallowed thickly. He had many regrets, but none were greater than this. He should have told Ben how he felt about him years ago. Maybe it would have alleviated some of the awkwardness they felt around each other now.

Unfortunately, with the ability to speak having been one of the first things that Ben had lost, Poe couldn't be sure that he would understand him if he said anything now.

And so Poe sat by the tide pool every day, his chest tight as he extended his hand, hoping that Ben would take it – hoping that he felt the unspoken apology in his touch, that all the words of friendship, love, and comfort that didn't pass his lips were not lost to the silence.

And as he did every day, Ben tentatively wrapped one of his tentacles around Poe's hand and swam closer to his childhood friend.

Swallowing heavily, Poe let his free hand trail along the suction cups on the underside of the tentacle as the pressure inside his chest eased.

Looking into the cephalopod's strange eyes, he was relieved that no matter its shape and color he could still sense the presence of Ben within its soulful gaze.

 

* * *

 

**Five Hours _Before_ the Ritual**

 

"Are we there, yet?" Poe panted when he reached the narrow plateau overlooking the island's sloping hills and the narrow trail that finally started heading downhill to the shoreline.

A sharp wind buffeted his dark hair, and his stomach rumbled. Luke and Ben, who were used to a somewhat ascetic diet, had decided to walk on past midday in order to reach the Jedi temple before nightfall.

Agreeing with their reasoning, Poe had hurriedly swallowed a pack of dry, flavorless rations, but now that the sun was descending, he was aching to sink his teeth into a good, solid piece of meat.

Ben, however, rolled his eyes at him. "You've been asking that every ten minutes for the past hour."

Poe threw a cheeky smile his way. "And eventually, you're going to give me a different answer."

To his surprise, Ben ducked his head and looked away. The motion looked awkward on his large frame... and maybe a little endearing as well, not that Poe had any intention of telling Ben so. For all Poe knew it would send Ben into a huff, and he wouldn't speak to him again for the next month.

It wouldn't be the first time. Ben had always been quick to take offense.

"You're really annoying. You know that, right?" Ben asked with a scowl on his face.

Poe, who rarely took offense to anything Ben said, laughed. "Don't be that way. You know, you love it. I bet you were pining for my company in that fancy Jedi school of yours. I bet that's the real reason you never wrote. Couldn't bear to admit that you missed me, eh?" He winked at Ben, but his smile quickly faded, when he caught sight of the wide-eyed look on his face and the quickly deepening color that rose all the way to the tips of his large ears.

"Ben?" he asked, his heart speeding up at the sudden possibilities. He'd meant it as a jest – an attempt at plausible deniability – but it wasn't as if he hadn't secretly wondered whether or not there was more to the intense looks that Ben occasionally cast his way.

Ben had always been far more quiet and serious than Poe, and Poe had been surprised to find that he liked that about Ben.

He could happily live without Ben's temper tantrums, but there were other moments – times when Poe's teasing and off-the-cuff remarks elicited an unexpected laugh and allowed glimpses of a much more vulnerable Ben – when Poe knew that his own feelings went beyond friendship.

Of course, Ben training to become a Jedi had nipped any speculation Poe might have entertained in the butt.

He'd read enough about them to know about their no-attachment rule. Personally, he thought it was a pretty stupid rule, but he couldn't deny that he knew next to nothing about the Force, so maybe there was a reason it existed.

However, Ben's reaction just now made him want to throw caution to the wind and explore if there were other options for them.

"Ben?" he repeated while approaching him, but Ben turned away abruptly and stalked down the slope to where Luke was following the narrow, winding path down to the shore.

"Don't be ridiculous," he said over his shoulder.

Poe hurried after him.

"Ben. Wait."

He stopped dead in his tracks when Ben rounded on him, his six foot three frame blocking out the sun.

"Why would I miss you?" he snarled. "Why would anyone? You think you're so damn smart and charming, but you're just a dumb nerf-herder. I wish you'd stayed at home, so I could live my life in peace." Turning away sharply, Ben stalked down the mountain.

Poe blinked at his retreating back in shock for half a second before he ran after him and pulled him back around.

"You kriffing hypocrite. The whole damn reason any of us are here in the first place is that your life is anything but peaceful. Voices in your head? Vader's ghost trying to pull you to the dark side? Remember any of that?"

"It's not as if I could forget it," Ben spat. "I have to live with it every damn day."

"Then stop pushing people away who are trying to help you."

His hands balled into fists, Ben stared down at him.

Poe refused to look away, even as the tension built between them. His gaze only flickered down when he saw Ben's Adam's apple bob, and Ben took that opportunity to step back and shove his fists into the pockets of his traveling cloak.

He turned away, leaving Poe no choice but to trudge after him.

"Stubborn, mule-headed oaf," Poe mumbled underneath his breath as he hitched his backpack higher onto his shoulder.

 

* * *

 

**Three Days A _fter_ the Ritual**

 

Another night of restless sleep lay behind him, fueled with nightmares of violence and blood, and a voice inside his head that was as sinister as it was seductive. A palpable sense of frustration had lain like a dark shadow over his dreams, and Poe took some solace from the idea that the bond they shared with Ben functioned as a buffer between him and Vader's voice.

Poe would gladly bear a few restless nights if it meant that Ben was sleeping peacefully for the first time in his life – or as peacefully as one could sleep when the Force was in the process of turning you into a giant octopus, and you couldn't be sure if the transformation was reversible.

"I'm really pregnant, aren't I?" Poe asked with a resigned look at the slight swell of his abdomen. It hadn't been there when he'd gone to bed yesterday.

"We both are," Luke told him, and to Poe's annoyance, he seemed perfectly at ease with this turn of events. "Though what exactly we are pregnant with, I can't say."

Poe tried not to be alarmed by that. He really did.

"What do mean?" he finally blurted out, when it became clear that Luke wasn't going to elaborate. "You've been studying those books for the past three days. You must have made some progress with the translation."

"It's a very old dialect..." Luke began, but Poe interrupted him.

"So you have said. And I would like to point out that I haven't said one word about you taking Ben out here to practice some ancient ritual that you thought might help him defeat his demons when you hadn't even fully translated the texts describing said ritual. And I know I screwed up, and that part of this is my fault, but you must have some idea about what is happening to us."

Luke rubbed his forehead in a rare show of agitation. "I know that we have no choice but to let it run its course. Once started, the Ritual must be completed, and for what its worth, I can't find anything about the participants suffering any long term effects."

"Well, that's good. So all of the Jedi who ever went through this were alright. That's a relief at least."

Luke gave him an odd look before he closed the book and placed it gingerly on the rickety table next to him.

"Ah... yes. It certainly is."

Poe stared at him suspiciously.

"Luke?"

"Yes?"

"How many times did the Jedi perform the ritual?"

Somehow Luke managed to look at once dignified and sheepish.

"Kriffing damn it." Poe threw up his hands. "It was only performed once? Are you kidding me?"

"It was performed by the two Jedi who created the cleansing ritual in the first place."

"Don't give me that. I went to school, Luke. I know how to make skimming two articles on fluid dynamics sound like two weeks worth of research. What you mean is that two curious idiots experimented with the Force, finally managed to perform a certain number of steps in a certain sequence, got a half-assed result, and claimed it was the most impressive invention since the wheel."

"Do you really believe a couple of inexperienced Jedi who didn't actually know what they were doing could just use the Force this way? That's preposterous. It takes far too much power and control to channel the Force with all necessary nuance to make this work."

"You have no idea who they were, do you?" Poe challenged him angrily.

Luke leaned right up into his face. "Of course I do. Their names where Asik and Mesomynogh Avualrghosh."

"Renowned Jedi Masters, whose names are remembered throughout history, no doubt."

"Ah... well, not exactly. But that doesn't mean that they were half as foolish as you're implying. Besides, if you'd stayed put as I told you to do–”

"You would be dead," Poe snarled, his voice rising with a sudden swell of anger in his chest.

Clearly agitated, Luke rose to his feet. As Poe was unwilling to back away, their noses were almost touching.

"At least we wouldn't be pregnant with the Force only knows what."

"It really shouldn't come as a surprise that a group of people who's highest creed it is not to form attachments, devised a cleansing ritual that only works if the participants fuck each other's brains out."

"Oh, and why is that?" Luke asked heatedly and pushed Poe forcefully back a step.

"Because it's the most stupid rule, that's why," Poe shouted. "Ben hates it. He's not made for that kind of life. He wants people to care for him, and he wants to feel safe to care for them as well, without fear of rejection."

"And how would you know what I want? You hadn't seen me for a year before Luke contacted you. If caring for me is so important to you, why did you never show up?"

"Because you told me not to. You said that your studies with Luke were too important and that I wouldn't understand them anyway."

"You didn't want to," Luke accused.

"You don't know the first thing about what I want," Poe shouted.

Luke suddenly lunged for him and pulled his mouth into a punishing kiss.

It shocked Poe enough to come back to his senses.

He gently disentangled himself from Luke and looked at him askance. "What just happened?"

Luke pressed a hand to his temple and took a step back. "I'm not sure. I think the mental bond the three of us share is getting stronger. We're not just connected through dreams anymore. Just now, I wanted to punch you, and then I wanted to kiss you, but I don't think either of those emotions was mine."

Poe smiled wryly and tried not to let on that he was freaking out on the inside. "For what it's worth, a lot of people have that reaction around me."

Luke gave him a look.

Poe swallowed. "It sounded as if Ben was talking through you. It felt odd – as if half of my brain was aware that you weren't you anymore, but the other half told me to just go along with it."

"You're sure it was the other half of your brain? Or was it Ben?"

Poe shrugged. "Why is this happening? Do you think Ben has any control over this?"

Luke turned around and started rummaging through the contents of his bag. "I don't know," he said. "But I think it would be better if we make sure it doesn't happen again."

"No argument here. That was a little creepy."

"There are some herbs that affect Force users. They can temporarily heighten or dampen their sensitivity to it."

"I'm not Force sensitive," Poe reminded him.

"Oh, I believe you are at the moment and will continue to be as long as this mental link persists."

Poe flopped down into a chair and crossed his arms. "Wonderful."

"I'll prepare a tea for us. It should keep everyone inside their own head while we're awake."

"And when we're asleep?" Poe asked wearily.

Luke gave him a sympathetic smile. "I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about the nightmares."

There was a heavy pause before he continued. "You need to understand... I came into my power during a war. The mentors that I had died before my own training was complete. It had barely even started. Most of the things I know, I taught myself. So much knowledge was destroyed under Palpatine's reign, that the sources I do have are very limited. I'm doing the best I can."

Poe slumped back into his chair.

"I know."

 

* * *

 

**Three Hours _Before_ the Ritual**

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Poe asked as he placed his backpack next to the provisions Ben and Luke had dumped onto one of the sleeping cots.

They'd reached a small assembly of huts just as the sun had touched the horizon. Both Ben and Luke were eager to get down to the shore, where the Jedi had built a temple within one of the sea caves that the ocean had carved into the cliff.

"We'll be fine. According to the book, Ben needs to mediate from sundown to midnight, while I prepare for the actual ritual. You can get everything set up in here, and if you could prepare some food for when we get back, we'd both appreciate it," Luke said.

Ben had been silent since he'd blown up at Poe back on the hillside. He was standing in the doorway, his expression closed off while he waited for Luke to join him.

"And you're sure that there is nothing I can do?" Poe asked.

It wasn't as if he actually understood what was going to happen. Luke had been somewhat vague about the cleansing ritual. He'd been going on about forging connections and a transfer of something or other, getting more excited as he spoke of manifestations of the Force and battles with the dark side until Poe's head had been spinning.

Truth be told, the only thing that Poe had taken away from that conversation was what Luke hadn't said out loud – that he was a man desperate to help his nephew, though he was fast approaching the end of his rope, and that he wasn't sure if he believed what Ben had told him.

It was in no small part due to the realization that Luke was rapidly losing hope that Poe had agreed to come along on this excursion.

He wanted to be there, in case something went wrong.

"No, I..." Luke hesitated as he flipped back and forth between two pages of the Jedi text he'd brought along. "I'm sure we're all set. It's just very delicate work, so please make sure there are no interruptions."

Poe gave him a two-fingered salute. "I'll keep my curiosity in check and won't bother you," he said with a knowing grin.

"I didn't mean to imply..."

"Yeah, you kind of did, but it's alright. You know me too well."

Luke took a deep breath and left it at that. "We'll see you in the morning then. And please, no matter what you hear, don't interrupt us."

"What do mean?" Ben asked his uncle sharply. "What do think he's going to hear?"

It was easy to see that he was nervous, and Poe couldn't blame him one bit. Luke's request sounded ominous.

"Well, your nightmares have been rather violent, Ben. Not to mention your temper tant... I mean, on the occasions when you've lost your temper..."

"You're afraid that I'll hurt you," Ben said quietly, and Poe's chest constricted at the self-loathing in his voice. He couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw Ben blink rapidly as he turned his head away. His shoulders were hunched, and his whole body radiated tension.

"No. Of course not, Ben," Luke was quick to reassure him. "But the text says that the ritual will bring about a manifestation of whatever it is that's haunting you, and we have no way of knowing what exactly that is. I am confident that we can handle whatever the Force throws at us, but I want all of us to be prepared, so no one does anything rash that we'll regret later."

He was looking at Poe when he said the last bit, but he wasn't offended by it. It was an open secret that he did exactly like following orders, and that rebellious streak had landed him in trouble more than once. If anything, he was surprised that Luke knew about the stunts he'd pulled over the years, but then again, maybe Ben had told him about some of them.

Ben lingered in the doorway while Luke shouldered his satchel and began the short track down to the shore. The wind had picked up and was tearing at their clothes, and Ben, with his long, dark hair and pale face, looked like a wraith come to haunt anyone who dared trespass on this sacred ground.

Poe leaned against the opposite side of the door frame and stared at him until Ben raised his eyes to him.

Ben pushed his hair out of his face and clenched his jaw, his eyes flickering back down to stare a hole into Poe's chest. His nostrils flared, and Poe suddenly realized that Ben's breathing was labored as if he'd run all the way up the hill, instead of walking down to the shore.

"Are you alright?" he asked at the same time that Ben said: "Thank you."

Their words got tangled in each other, and, to Poe's surprise, Ben visibly flinched. He still wouldn't raise his gaze from Poe's chest.

"You're welcome," Poe said when the silence stretched too long.

Ben nodded and quickly turned towards the path. He took two steps, then paused, as if he'd reached the end of an invisible leash. His hands were clenched so tightly that even the fading light couldn't hide how white his knuckles were, or how hard his shoulders trembled around his ears.

"Ben?" Poe asked quietly.

He could hear the low rumble of Ben's voice, but the words where snatched away by the wind, and he couldn't quite make them out.

Taking a hesitant step forward, Poe placed his hand on Ben's shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. "It'll be alright."

Ben swallowed convulsively and seemed to hunch over even more. But he didn't turn around.

Instead, he stiffly stepped forward and followed the path Luke had taken.

It wasn't until Poe had returned to the hut and added kindling to the fire pit that his brain finally pieced together the sound of Ben's voice.

His hands froze.

"I'm scared," was what Ben had tried to say, and in the darkness of the small hut, the words wound around Poe's heart and squeezed it tight enough to hurt.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**One Day A _fter_ the Ritual**

 

"There has to be something we can do," Poe railed as he paced the length of the hut. "We can't just leave him like this."

"I am trying to see if there is any way to reverse the process," Luke said angrily. "Which would be a lot easier, if you stopped shouting.”

Poe punched a wall. It wasn't something he'd ever done before, but he felt the occasion warranted it.

Startled, Luke sprang to his feet and whirled around. His lightsaber zoomed past Poe's nose, close enough to make him jerk backward. It landed securely in Luke's hand, but instead of igniting it, Luke made a disgusted noise and threw it back onto the cot from where it had come.

"And how is that going to help?" Luke asked while Poe cradled his aching knuckles.

"Asks the man, who almost smacked me in the head with his lightsaber."

Luke shrugged. "I fought in a war. Reflexes like those don't just go away, and they saved my life more than once." He pointed at Poe's injured hand. "Let me help you with that." He pulled a jar of bacta gel out of his pack and none too gently rubbed the substance into Poe's skin.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Poe shook out his wrist. "It's not that bad. I don't even know why I did it, to be honest. I don't usually lose my temper like that."

Luke paused in his ministration and looked at him quizzically. "Punching walls is what Ben does when he's angry. It's either that or slicing through them with his lightsaber."

"Does that happen often?"

Luke nodded sadly. "With increasing frequency."

Poe pressed his lips together. "This is my fault isn't it?"

"We don't know that," Luke said quietly.

"I should have listened to you."

Luke closed the jar and released his hand. "Maybe. Then again, maybe not. Who knows what the Force intended showing you that vision. Maybe you were supposed to be there."

"But Ben..." Poe began. He clenched a hand in his dark locks. "I can't believe that the Force intended for him to turn into... that creature."

"I'm not so sure about that. The Jedi who used to live here carved a lot of tentacle creatures into the walls of the temple. Between Ben's transformation and his... ah... behavior, I believe that I have been far more metaphorical in my interpretations of the ritual than I should have been."

Poe stared at him.

Luke stared right back.

"This is about sex, isn't it?" Poe finally said, when his irritation over Luke's dramatic silence became too much.

Luke had the decency to look embarrassed. "Ah, yes. I'm afraid that it is, indeed, about sex. Though, to be fair, the... uhm... intercourse appears to be only a means to an end."

Poe stared at the ceiling for a moment, hoping against hope that a bolt of lightning might strike him down. When no such mercy was forthcoming, he turned around, pulled out one of the wooden chairs from the corner table, and sat down in it.

"You will have to explain that to me – using small words," he added when Luke reached for the ancient Jedi texts.

"Well, it appears that the Jedi were in fact being quite literal when they wrote that 'The Force will work through the supplicant – that's Ben, obviously – in that it will draw the poison from his mind, by – you see, I thought this word right here meant 'transfer', but given how Ben reacted, I believe it may actually refer to an... well, an impregnation of sorts."

Catching Poe's stony expression, Luke hurried on.

"Anyway, it says that his guide – that would be me – will either receive, or it could also mean 'host' or 'nurture,' I'm not sure – the darkness which dwells within the supplicant. The guide must bear the poison as if it were his own to fully understand the darkness so truth will be revealed."

"That sounds incredibly convoluted," Poe said sarcastically.

Luke looked at him over the edge of the pages. "It's a dead language. The grammar doesn't translate one to one."

Poe felt his cheeks heat. "When we were down in the cave..."

"The temple," Luke corrected him, but Poe only rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. When we were down there, Ben made... he made certain advances toward me."

"I saw. He made the same advances towards me. I believe the Force guided him in the manner that the ritual stipulates."

"But I'm not his guide. I'm not even Force-sensitive," Poe exclaimed.

"You interrupted the ritual. Maybe the Force tried to show you that one vessel was not enough to contain the poison. I don't know, if by interrupting it, the Force intended for you to become a part of the ritual, or if Ben's feelings for you were a factor... oh, don't give me that look, I may be getting on in years, but I'm not blind. My nephew has fallen hard for you. It took me some time to put the pieces together, but I understand now, why his emotional turmoil was even greater after he came back from his last visit to Corellia."

Poe rubbed a hand over his face. "He never said anything."

"Does that surprise you?"

"Not really, no." Poe gave him a pensive look. "We can unwrap that later. What else does the text say?"

Luke perused the following page. "Only that after a full moon's turn the guide will... I'm just going to translate this with 'give birth,' to a manifestation of the poison so that the darkness may be defeated."

"Defeated how?"

Luke shrugged. "No idea."

Bracing his elbows on his knees, Poe rubbed the back of his neck. "A full turn of the moon is what? Six days on this planet?"

"That's about right," Luke confirmed. "Wait. Where are you going?"

"Back to the cave," Poe replied with his hand already on the door.

"You mean, you're going to..."

“What happens to Ben if we don't complete the ritual?”

Luke looked decidedly discomfited. “At best, he stays as he is now.”

“Right. I don't need to know the worst case scenario then.”

“You can't seriously think about...”

Poe glared at him. "Believe me, I can. I'm going to go back down there and fuck an octopus." He shrugged. "I mean, it's not as if I haven't done it before. I've been around a few planets."

"But Ben..."

"Needs my help. That's why I joined you on this trip in the first place. And if it turns out I'm pregnant after, well it's just your luck that you asked the right kind of kinky bastard to come along with you. Besides, it'll only last six days anyway, what could possibly go wrong?"

Luke groaned and closed his eyes. "I really wish you hadn't asked that question."

Poe wrenched the door open and strode down to the shore. “I don't believe in jinxes.”

"Wait, Poe. Wait for me." Luke hurried after him. "I'm his guide. I got him into this mess. If we're going to do this, we'll do it together."

 

* * *

 

The cave lay quiet and dark before them.

Taking a deep breath, Poe straightened his shoulders and stepped onto the narrow, wet shore that lined the underground lake.

Somewhere out there, Ben was waiting for them.

Small pebbles at the entrance glinted in the light of the rising sun. The walls were as wet as the ground, and the torches in their durasteel scones had been extinguished by Ben flailing in fear and desperation as the transformation took hold, and the waves crested higher and higher.

Luke moved his hands, and the torches sputtered for a moment before alighting one by one.

"Ben!" Poe called out.

They could hear a disturbance in the water, but it was at the far end of the cave, near the narrow runoff to the ocean. The light of the torches did not reach that far, and the gray light of morning allowed them to see nothing but undefinable shadows.

Luke stepped up next to Poe, who was already divesting himself of his clothes. "Ben, we're here to help you. Don't be afraid."

Poe stepped up to the edge of the lake naked as the day he'd been born and put his hands on his hips. "Alright, I'm coming in. Please, don't eat me."

A low, rumbling sound echoed through the cave. Poe couldn't be sure, but it sounded as if Ben was distressed.

Not that he could blame him.

"Was that really necessary?" Luke admonished him.

Poe looked over his shoulder with a grin that was more bravado than genuine mirth. "What? I'm tasty."

Grumbling something unintelligible underneath his breath, Luke unfastened his cloak and trousers and joined Poe in the water.

"What if he won't come to us?" he asked as he waded deeper into the lake.

Poe glanced at him over his shoulder. "I'm not planning to wait." He dove forward, his head temporarily disappearing below the water. When he came back up, he was already several body lengths ahead of Luke and swam with sure, strong strokes towards the other side of the lake.

Luke hesitated for a moment before he followed him.

Poe was plowing through the water, his eyes fixed on the undulating shadows near the cave wall. The closer he came, the more he could differentiate the shapes, and it wasn't long before he recognized Ben. He sat on the narrow ledge of the runoff. From the waist up, he still looked like he always had, strong muscles moving under pale, mole-dotted skin. He'd pushed his long, wet hair back behind his ears, giving his features a much more severe look than Poe remembered. Below the waist, however, Poe could see nothing but a mass of moving tentacles.

"Fuck, Ben," he cursed softly. "I am so sorry."

Ben looked at him with sorrowful eyes, and to Poe's consternation, the rising sunlight revealed that his eyes were changing, too. Where they had once held the warmth of Corellian whiskey, they were slitted now and black.

"Luke and I talked about what happened, and we both think it's best if we let this thing play out the way those Jedi intended."

Ben opened his mouth, though nothing but a low wailing passed his lips. He slipped from the ledge into the ocean behind him and disappeared from sight.

Cursing, Poe quickly closed the distance between them, but he was too late.

"Damn it. We're trying to help you," he shouted as he pulled himself across the smooth stone of the runoff. "I'm sorry we ran away before, but you're not making it better by doing the same thing right now."

Losing his purchase on the slippery rock, he plunged head first into the ocean.

Moments later he resurfaced, spitting salt water. His eyes widened when he felt the swell of the tide carry him straight at the rocks. "Oh fuck, no."

He turned to the side as best as he could and braced himself for the impact, but at the last second, he felt a strong, thick tentacle wrap around his waist and pull him back.

"Are you alright?" Luke shouted down at him from the runoff.

Wrapping both of his hands firmly around the tentacle, lest Ben let go of him, Poe nodded.

"I think so."

He kicked his legs and turned around only to find Ben staring at him with mournful eyes. His head was submerged, leaving everything below his nose hidden.

"Hey, it's okay," Poe said as he drew closer. Following an impulse, he cupped Ben's face in both of his palms. "Thanks for saving me, man. That was a close call.

Ben blinked at him, clearly surprised at the nonchalance in Poe's voice, but Poe had never been one for dwelling on setbacks.

"Luke and I know what you need to do, and we're both okay with it."

Ben's eyes widened, and he promptly disappeared below the surface again, but this time Poe was prepared for it.

He kept his hand firmly around the tentacle that slipped from around his waist and dove after Ben. The currents below the surface didn't make it easy to find his way, but whether it was instinct or the Force guiding him, Poe came up right beside Ben. Before Ben could react, Poe wrapped his arms around his torso and pressed his mouth against Ben's lips.

Ben jerked back, but instead of trying to get away, he hovered uncertainly, his tentacles moving against the current. Poe smiled reassuringly as he met Ben's questioning gaze.

Eventually, slowly, Ben approached him. His gaze rove over Poe's face and Poe nodded solemnly. A smaller tentacle drifted towards him, and Poe brushed the back of his fingers against it. Ben reacted with a shudder. His mouth fell open, and a faint blush stole into his ghostly pale cheeks.

Poe couldn't stay below the water any longer. He kicked up suddenly, his head breaching the surface, and he sucked in deep lungs full of air.

"Poe," Luke called out to him. He was still waiting on top of the runoff.

"I'm okay," Poe shouted back. "And I think we're getting somewhere."

Ben suddenly rose out of the water beside him, his gaze darting from Poe to Luke. A small, questioning sound fell from his lips.

Poe and Luke exchanged a look, and the older man shrugged. "Guess, I'm going to join you," he said, and to Poe's surprise, he stood up and dove head first into the ocean.

Unlike Poe who had been caught unaware by the current, Luke swam through it with a few strong pulls from his arms.

"Sprier that I gave you credit for," Poe teased when Luke stopped next to him.

"Jedi," Luke commented laconically, and if the situation had been anything other than what it was, Poe would have laughed.

Instead, he turned back to Ben, who had been pulling him gently against him with his hands on his hips and two tentacles winding around his legs. Poe pulled Ben's face close to him by placing his hand behind his neck.

"You know, that feels kind of nice," he said lowly.

Ben made a hesitant, but pleased sound and pushed his tentacles a little bit higher.

Luke suddenly sucked in a sharp breath. "Oh," he said with a look down his body. "Oh, that's what you meant."

"Come here," Poe murmured as he drew Ben closer to him. He captured Ben's mouth in a heated kiss that made him forget the cold of the water. Ben's plush lips moved eagerly against him, and Poe was quick to deepen his embrace, wrapping his arms around Ben and letting his tongue brush against the inside of his bottom lip.

Ben moaned into his mouth.

"That's right, you thick-headed bantha. There's no reason we shouldn't enjoy this," Poe said with a daredevil smile.

He rubbed his nose teasingly against Ben's and pushed a hand between their bodies until he could take hold of one of the tentacles Ben kept brushing against his legs. He gently guided it higher until it rubbed against his straining erection.

Ben growled low in his throat and wound the tip of the tentacle around Poe's cock letting it drift up and down his length until Poe squirmed with pleasure. "Oh fuck, yes. Don't stop."

Another tentacle traced lightly against the sensitive skin of his testicles, and Poe gasped out loud as his entire body bucked against Ben. He dug his fingers into Ben's shoulders trying to steady himself in the to and fro of the tide.

Behind him, Luke moaned faintly. "I need..." he gasped out loud. "I need something to hold on to, or I'm going under," he said hoarsely.

While his tentacles continued to caress Poe, Ben wrapped another, thicker one around his waist and shoulder to hold him aloft. Then he turned to his uncle and extended another tentacle to draw him against his body. Poe watched as Luke cupped his nephew's jaw in the palm of his hand and rested his forehead against him. Ben's name fell with a sigh from his mouth, before Ben slanted his mouth across Luke's and kissed him hungrily.

Poe was floating in Ben's many-armed embrace. He let his fingers trace along the suction cups that ran along the underside of the tentacle holding him aloft and felt the limb tighten around him.

The tentacles felt smooth and firm beneath his touch. 

He watched Ben and Luke kiss, his eyes fluttering closed at the continued stimulation to his cock. His abdominal muscles fluttered when one of Ben's tentacles teased the opening of his ass, and he eagerly pulled his knees up and thrust against the appendage. His hands tightened around the limb at his shoulder when Ben pushed the tentacle's tip into his body, and Poe moaned out loud.

"Kriffing fuck, I'd forgotten how amazing that feels."

Ben made a pleased, wanton sound and pulled away from Luke to watch Poe's face as he pushed himself further into Poe's body.

The tip of the tentacle undulated inside him, teasing his inner walls and pressing against his prostate.

Luke was panting next to him, and suddenly his hand shot out, his fingers digging deeply into Poe's shoulder. His mouth had fallen open, and a strangled cry fell from his lips.

Poe couldn't quite tell whether Luke's reaction was due to pleasure or pain as the Jedi sank his teeth into his bottom lip to regain some semblance of control

"You okay?" Poe asked hoarsely.

Luke nodded frantically. "Jedi are not supposed to–" he gasped, "–supposed to enjoy this."

A bark of laughter tore out of Poe. "I told you it's a stupid rule. You've been missing out."

Luke didn't reply to the barb. He closed his eyes and buried his face in the crook of Poe's neck. "Kriff."

Placing a hand on the back of Luke's neck, Poe looked at Ben across his uncle's shoulder.

"We should have done this years ago," he told him with a wink. "Can't believe it took you turning into an octopus for us to get naked."

The sound that came out of Ben's mouth had a distinctly annoyed undertone.

Poe just grinned at him, though his amusement was short-lived. The tentacle inside him rubbed more insistently against his prostate, and Poe almost bit his tongue trying to stifle a moan.

Time passed in a haze of lust as Ben continued to fuck them. Poe was dimly aware of the swell of the waves lapping at his shoulders, but his mind was filled with the sensation of Ben thrusting into his body with increasing urgency, with the deep rumbling sound of pleasure that he made, and Luke's desperate, panting gasps.

Luke suddenly stiffened beside him as he crested the wave of pleasure, his nephew had brought upon him, and Poe felt a responding tension gather at the base of his spine. The tentacle inside him expanded, flooding him with heat and the most exquisite, agonizing pressure.

Ben stiffened, and suddenly Poe felt a bulge press into him, pushing past the straining muscle of his anus. His mouth fell open in a silent scream, but just when he thought that it would be too much to bear when the first lick of pain warped the pleasure he felt, the tension eased.

It felt strange, unlike anything he'd ever felt before, solid and hot, and when he clenched his muscles, he felt the malleable resistance of an object inside him – an egg, he realized belatedly.

Ben's tentacle pumped into him erratically, but before he could spend another thought as to what Ben had left inside him, Poe's muscles grew impossibly tight as he clenched his ass around the tentacle, and seconds later, he felt as if he was falling down into the deep, his whole body taut as an elastic cord just before it snapped.

 

* * *

 

 _See the way they look at you. They laugh at you behind your back. They know the truth, Ben. They know that you are different. They know that you are special, and they are afraid of what you will do._ _They covet your power. And their envy turns to hate, just as their fear turns to anger._

_They will never understand you. But I do. I have stood on the same line that separates the light from the darkness, Ben. Your mother and your uncle tried to deny their legacy, tried to stifle their powers out of spite and weakness. Let me guide you. Have I not been a friend since the day you were born? When your parents were too busy living their own life to be there for you, was I not the one you turned to? Did I not teach you that there is strength in your anger, that you must stand alone, proud and unencumbered by the weakness of attachment?_

_I know you, Ben. I know you better than you know yourself. Let me guide you. Let me help you achieve greatness that belongs to you and you alone. Don't let your parents or my foolish son shape you in their image. Be your own person. Let me show you how to embrace the legacy that is yours on your own terms. You are destined for greatness, Ben. Come to me. Come to me and let those who fear you, fear you for a reason._

Poe woke up with a start.

Pushing his hands against the rocks below him, he turned until he was sitting upright. He was on the shore, his skin already dried by the sun that warmed his limbs, but underneath his skin, he felt clammy and cold, and his thoughts felt sluggish as if every one of them was drifting through deep waters.

Looking around, he found Luke lying not ten feet behind him, spread-eagled on his chest as if he'd crawled up the shore and simply collapsed under the weight of his own body.

Poe slowly got to his feet. His body felt sore, not unpleasantly so, but any enjoyment he'd gotten out of mating with Ben was dimmed by the shadow of the nightmare that lingered in his thoughts.

He crouched down next to Luke and shook his shoulder.

His eyes fluttering open, Luke pressed a hand to his temple. He groaned.

"What the fuck?" he exclaimed.

Poe looked at him curiously. "I didn't by any chance just wake you up from a nightmare, did I? A voice in your head? The way Ben tried to tell us he heard since he was a child?"

Luke stared up at him, his face drawn and pale.

"Claiming to be Vader," Luke said haltingly. "Telling Ben that he's special. That everyone hates him."

Sitting down on his haunches, Poe let his gaze wander across the surf. There was no hint of Ben in sight.

"Yeah, I heard it too. Poisons and darkness, huh? You think we're somehow linked to Ben's mind?"

"It would appear so." Luke rubbed a hand across his face. He sat up and rested his elbows on his drawn up knees. His gaze fell hollowly onto the horizon.

"I didn't believe him, you know? Whenever our minds touched when I guided him through meditation, I heard nothing but his own voice. There was never even a hint of someone touching his mind other than his mother and I."

"Can you– I don't know – trace it back to the source – now that you know it's real?"

Luke pressed his lips into a thin line. "Whoever is doing this must be very strong with the dark side."

"Could it actually be Vader?"

"No. Even if my father lingers in the Force, he died as Anakin. He would not do this to his grandson."

Standing up, Poe offered his hand to Luke. "Well, if Ben has really been hearing that voice in his dreams every night, it's a miracle that he hasn't turned to the dark side, yet."

Luke looked away guiltily but accepted Poe's hand to pull himself to his feet. "He's stronger than I gave him credit for."

Just then, Ben breached the surface of the ocean. He pulled himself out of the water and onto the runoff at the mouth of the cave.

Poe sucked in a sharp breath. "Luke, Ben's transformation–"

"It's still progressing," Luke finished.

Ben did not try to approach them, but waved at them from the narrow ledge, before he let himself sink backward into the tide pool. Hours ago, his torso had still looked human, but now the skin bore the same patterns as the tentacles that sprouted from his waist.

"I need to get back to the hut. Maybe there's something in the texts or the datapads I brought with me that will give us more information."

Poe picked a small pebble out of his palm and brushed his hands off on his thighs. "You go on ahead. I'll collect our clothes." Looking at Luke, he caught the older man wince as he made his way up the shore.

"Hey, I didn't ask because that nightmare caught me off-guard, but are you okay?"

Luke waved him off. "About what? Having sex with my nephew? Getting fucked with tentacles? The possibility of being pregnant? Or the fact that Ben tried to tell me for years that someone was messing with his head, and I didn't believe him?"

Poe shrugged helplessly. "All of it?"

Coming to a halt at the bottom of the trail that led up to the huts, Luke rubbed a hand across his face in frustration. "It's a lot to process," he admitted. "But I've wasted enough time. I left Ben to deal with the voices in his head on his own. I failed him, not just as a teacher, but as an uncle. I have to help him. I can process how fucked up this is later."

Poe looked after him as he strode up the path.

"Right," he said quietly to himself. "Sure. Let's process it later."

 


	3. Chapter 3

**One Hour _Before_ the Ritual**

 

He tidied up the hut, stowed their provisions, build a second fire in the circular depression outside their hut that might have served as a meeting place, back when the enclave had been thriving.

In the end, Poe went down to the tide pools out of sheer boredom. The beam of his flashlight revealed a school of fish and various other sea creatures in one of the pools, and remembering wilderness trips with his parents, he managed to put together a fishing hook and lure.

By the time the moon reached its apex, he climbed back up the winding path, a pair of already cleaned and gilled fish and a small cephalopod slung over his shoulder.

He stoked the fire and added a few more logs to it before he secured his catch on the spit. A look at the chrono told him that it was about an hour to midnight.

Luke hadn't told him how long it would take to perform the ritual, only that they would be here for at least one standard week.

Sitting back on the flat boulder that served as a bench, he leaned his back against the wall of the hut behind him and watched the fire. The worry he felt for Ben filled his mind now that his hands were idle, and he was no longer distracting himself with tasks that were mundane but necessary.

Luke had talked about mediation, which didn't exactly sound dangerous. Then again, what little he knew about the Force (which was mostly due to Ben complaining about it whenever they'd met) was that strong emotions compromised control, and Ben was nothing if not a bundle of strong emotions.

He remembered the entire house shaking when Senator Organa had told Ben that his father would not be back in time to say goodbye before he was sent to Luke for the first time. He'd only been eight years old, and Poe couldn't quell the apprehension he felt when he imagined what Ben was capable of now that he was twenty.

Watching his catch roast, he tried to think ahead... tried to imagine Ben and Luke returning to the huts, conjured them sitting beside him, sharing a meal and laughing about how worried they had been, now that everything was resolved, and Ben was at peace. He knew that in reality, things were never that easy, but he figured it couldn't do any harm to hope for the best.

A warm breeze ruffled his hair, and he caught his eyelids drooping more than once as he waited. The full moon slowly traversed the night sky, drawing ever closer to the mountain peaks that loomed behind the small assembly of stone huts. The call of a nocturnal bird reached his ears, a soft, low hooting noise that sounded oddly comforting.

Poe blinked drowsily into the fire.

The dead cephalopod stared back at him with what Poe could only call an accusatory look.

Poe's chin dipped onto his chest.

The cephalopod moved.

Poe sighed and watched in a daze as it curled it's tentacles around the spit and pulled itself on top of it.

Poe couldn't move. He tried to, but his limbs felt heavy as if they'd been weighted down, and there was a lethargy pervading his thoughts that discouraged any physical reaction.

He watched the cephalopod float up in the air, its tentacles billowing out behind it before it snapped them together, propelling itself higher as if it was swimming underwater instead of floating above the fire. It hovered above the spit, moving its tentacles in a slow rhythmic motion. In the darkness, it took Poe a moment to realize that every time it snapped its tentacles together it left behind a trail of black clouds.

The clouds drifted down to the fire, and it crackled and flickered almost as if it shied away from the darkness. Suddenly, the flames parted. Two glowing embers were revealed, both nearly white with the heat of the fire. The black cloud drifted towards one of them and swirled around it until it clung to the ember dimming its bright light to a dark, pulsing red.

Poe watched in fascination as the second ember glowed brighter and brighter and started to draw the darkness from the first one. Suddenly, the fire rose high into the air, burning the fish on the spit to charcoal and making the spit glow from the heat. The darkness that covered the first ember took on a reflecting sheen, turning solid and thick as tar. It strained away from the ember as if pulled against its will before it suddenly tore away and hurtled itself at the second ember.

It pierced the ember, burrowing deep beneath its surface, and Poe was suddenly released from whatever spell had held him hostage.

He jumped to his feet, his heart hammering inside his throat as the second ember exploded into a myriad of red hot shards. Throwing his hands up in front of his face, he felt the stinging burn on his hand and cheek as the projectiles hit their target.

Down by the shore, a scream full of torment and agony tore through the night.

Heedless of Luke's directive to stay put, Poe started running.

 

* * *

 

He rushed past the tide pools and skidded into the cave beyond. A giant lake took up most of the space, save for a narrow shoreline that skirted half of the lake before it widened into an oval recess at the back wall. Half a dozen torches, set in durasteel scones, illuminated a mosaic on the floor, one half cast in darkness, the other in light, depicting a cephalopod. Its tentacles wound around the circumference of the mosaic which was carved deeply into the smooth rock, the limbs too numerous to count.

In its center, Ben was writhing on the floor, clutching his head, and screaming like a man possessed.

It took him a moment to find Luke, and when his eyes alighted on his body, he gasped.

"Run, Poe. It's not safe for you to be here," Luke shouted down at him, his voice strained. He was pinned to the wall twenty feet above the ground, struggling against the unseen power that held him there.

"What happened?" Poe shouted over Ben's wailing cry.

In spite of Luke's warning, he could not walk away. Instead, he approached Ben cautiously, feeling a compulsion deep in his bones to offer comfort and solace.

"I told you not to come," Luke gasped instead of giving an answer.

"I had a vision," Poe told him, realizing only as he said the words out loud that the Force must have sent it to him. "I had a vision that whatever darkness is haunting Ben would kill you."

Luke struggled for breath. His hands flew to his throat. "That might– might still– come to pass," he gasped around the pressure restricting his throat.

"Ben," Poe said urgently. "Ben, you have to stop this. We're trying to help you. Please, Ben."

Ben was thrashing on the floor, curling in on himself, his hands clutching his hair.

Making a decision and praying that it was the right one, he crouched down next to Ben and cradled him in his arms.

Ben froze for a second, then turned onto his back, leaning heavily against Poe. Flinging his head back, his mouth fell open in a silent scream, and Poe flinched when he realized that Ben's eyes were pitch black.

Luke suddenly dropped to the ground, his legs giving way beneath the impact of his body, and he wheezed, trying desperately to draw air into his lungs.

"Tell me what to do," Poe called to him. "There has to be something to make it stop."

But Luke shook his head. "We completed the first stage of the ritual. I saw–" he broke off, struggling for words. "I saw the poison inside his mind. It's like a black cloud clinging to his every thought and emotion. I don't understand why I never saw it before."

Ben's body spasmed in Poe's arms, and a high pitched wail fell from his mouth.

"What is happening to him? Is this part of the ritual?"

Luke didn't answer. He was staring at Ben's legs, his face ashen.

Following his gaze, Poe froze. It felt as if someone had taken a giant net and dragged it through his mind, taking away every single thought and feeling to leave nothing but a gaping void behind. He watched numbly as Ben's lower legs – flesh and bone, boots and clothes – seemed to stretch and split apart until a wriggling mass of tentacles took their place.

"What the hell, Luke?" he ground out before he turned toward the shocked Jedi and shouted at him. "What have you done to him?"

Luke came shakily to his feet. "I don't know. The texts spoke of a transformation..."

"Into this?" Poe asked in disbelief.

Ben's hand suddenly found Poe's, and he clenched his fingers around it. Returning his grip, Poe drew him closer. "I'm here, Ben. I've got you, you hear me. You're not alone."

Ben seemed to calm down a little. He stopped screaming, but his eyes were still black, and he was panting for breath.

Luke crouched down on the other side of him and ran his hands along Ben's leg. He closed his eyes, and Poe could only hope that he was trying to use the Force to reverse the transformation. The tentacles were sprouting from his knees now, and even as he watched, he could see the transformation progress slowly upwards.

Ben still clutched Poe's hand in a death grip.

"It'll be okay," Poe said hollowly. "I swear to you, no matter what happened. I will find a way to make this okay." He didn't care how long it would take or how difficult it would be. He would not give up on Ben.

The tentacles had been undulating against Poe's legs for a while, and it took him a moment to realize that they were winding around his legs as well as Luke's hands. Poe watched incredulously, as one of them reached out to curl itself into Luke's lap.

Luke irritably shoved it aside before he resumed his position with his eyes closed by Ben's side.

At first, Poe didn't think much of it, but as he tried to carefully extract himself from the tentacles winding around his own legs, he felt one of them brush against his crotch, startling him.

He grabbed it and pushed it away.

A sound rumbled through Ben's throat, and when Poe's gaze darted up to his face, he found him blinking groggily up at him, his eyes no longer black, though his pupils were blown wide.

"Ben? Can you hear me?" Poe asked. He released his hand and cupped Ben's face between his palms. "Ben!"

A tentacle brushed against his crotch again, more insistently this time, and two more were trying to push their way into his pants. Still holding Ben's face, Poe looked down in bewilderment and annoyance. "Will you stop that," he said irritably.

He was neither horrified nor angry, but Ben's actions puzzled him, especially since he didn't know if it was actually Ben who was moving the tentacles or if someone else had taken control of him.

Ben's gaze followed Poe, and when he saw the tentacle wriggling in Poe's lap, his entire body jerked violently. A harsh screeching sound tore out of his throat, and he reared up, only to crumble to the ground again, now that he no longer had legs to support him.

"Ben," Luke and Poe both called out, but Ben evaded their reaching hands and pulled himself forward on his arms. When Poe caught a glimpse of his face before Ben turned away, he was struck by the fear in Ben's eyes. The tentacles had reached the middle of his thighs. They thrashed behind him, one of them catching Poe hard in the shoulder, flinging him to the side.

Luke was beside him in an instant to pull him back to his feet. A sudden roar rose in front of them, and both men instinctively took a step back when they saw a giant wave build inside the cave. It rose higher and higher until its crest broke against the ceiling. Ben was still pulling himself towards the waterline, which had receded now that the wave was pulling the water away.

"It's coming towards us," Luke shouted over the roar of the water.

"No, it's moving towards Ben," Poe shouted back.

"He's the one controlling it," Luke shot back. His hand dug into Poe's arm, and he pulled him back towards the entrance. "We have to get out of here. It'll flood the whole cave."

"But what about Ben?" Poe demanded even as he stumbled backward.

"We can't help him if we're dead."

 

* * *

 

**Seven Days _After_ the Ritual**

 

"I told you not to disturb me until morning."

The young officer straightened his shoulders nervously. "Forgive me, Supreme Leader, but it is morning already."

Snoke turned off the view screen with an angry swipe of his hand. Rising from his kneeling position on the ground, he winced at the ache in his muscles. He had spent all night meditating – trying to reach the young Skywalker heir. And just like the past few nights, he had failed.

Every night he had poured more and more energy into reestablishing a connection which he had thought unbreakable. He had nurtured it, made is grow strong and powerful for two decades, and now, when Ben Solo was almost ready to turn, almost ready to come to him, the connection was fading, slipping through his grasp whenever he reached for it.

He made his way to the door with unsteady steps. A wave of dizziness swept over him after he'd barely crossed half the distance, and he stumbled. Reaching out a hand to steady himself, he found nothing to hold on to. His knees hit the ground, and he fell to all fours.

Weakness clung to him, seeping deep into his bones, and he was panting as he tried to stand again only to fall once more.

A tendril of fear shivered down his spine. Something was very, very wrong.

He sat back on his haunches and looked inward.

There. The connection that he'd been trying to find for nearly a week. He reached for it, felt his mind wrap around it, but just as so many times before, it slipped away from him.

Unlike all the other times, however, it didn't disappear but hovered at the very edge of his consciousness.

As if it was taunting him.

Making another attempt, Snoke approached it cautiously.

_Push. You need to push, Poe._

The voice sounded vaguely familiar, though he could assign neither name nor face to it. It drifted through his mind, hazy and undefinable, like a distant memory.

_You're doing great. Don't forget to breathe. It's coming. It's coming. You're almost there._

The bond drifted before him like a current. All he had to do was dive into it, immerse himself, and follow it to the end. He reached out with his mind and skimmed through the edges.

A jolt went through him. It felt as if hundreds of tiny hooks embedded themselves inside him, trapping him, pulling him, forcing him onwards.

With a sudden surge of panic, Snoke reared back against the unseen force.

He was a Force user, strong with the dark side. There were few who rivaled him in his power. Solo could be one of them. Maybe. One day. If he committed himself to his teachings.

But not, yet. There was no way that he was strong enough or even had the knowledge to spring a trap like this. For a trap it was, of this Snoke had no doubt.

_Don't be a fool. You can't hold it back forever, Luke. You need to let go. Just let it go. Push, damn it._

And yet, in spite of his resistance, in spite of the power he flung at the hooks pulling him forward, he was caught inevitably in the flow of the current.

The more power he exerted to free himself, the faster he sank into the bond with Ben Solo. The more effort he extended to pull back, the faster he was pulled forward.

Darkness swirled around him. He could no longer feel his body. His mind was inexorably tumbling through the Force itself, raw power tearing at his essence, pervading him, reshaping him from the inside out.

Rage tore through him, unbridled and hot as a firestorm. It was not his own, but he could feel the familiar presence of Ben Solo contained within it. It reached deep into his very being and tore him in two.

Snoke screamed.

 

* * *

 

"What the fuck is that?"

Poe lay panting in the middle of the mosaic of the Jedi temple and stared at the two translucent, gelatinous eggs to which he and Luke had just given birth. Dark clouds swirled beneath the membrane, prodding the soft shell here and there as if trying to escape their confinement.

"A manifestation of whatever it was that poisoned Ben's mind," Luke said weakly. He rolled onto his knees and reached for his robe.

"Great. Awesome. I don't suppose you have any idea what we're supposed to do with them?"

Luke was prevented from answering when Ben surged out of the ocean. He pulled himself over the runoff with a roar and plunged into the lake.

"He does not look happy," Poe commented drily.

A loud cracking sound echoed through the cavern as the eggs suddenly broke open.

A swirling mass, half liquid, half smoke flooded the ground, and Poe scrambled to his feet and jumped out of the indentation of the mosaic.

The broiling substance spread over the stone floor until both parts were merged as one.

The lake water started to churn, waves washing higher and higher onto the narrow shore as Ben made his way across it.

A ghostly shape rose from the black mass, a form half man, thin and scarred, with glowing, cold eyes, half octopus, thick, strong tentacles lashing at Poe and Luke as they pressed themselves against the wall of the cave.

"How dare you?" a rumbling voice demanded. It was familiar, a voice that had haunted them through dreams and lingered into their waking hours. "What have you done to me?"

Next to Poe, Luke drew in a sharp breath. "I know you. You're Snoke. So you're the one tried to corrupt my nephew. I should have known."

He ignited his lightsaber and sprang at Snoke, but the shining blade went harmlessly through the shadow tentacles. The move threw Luke off-balance and he stumbled forward.

"Skywalker." Snoke spat in disgust. Focused as he was on Luke and Poe, he did not see Ben hurtling towards him through the water. "Did you finally figure out that I'm a Force user? Good for you. Not that it will help you, now."

The ghostly form of Snoke extended a hand, and Luke crumbled to the ground. Water lapped at his legs. The cave was almost entirely flooded.

Poe ran forward, bare feet splashing through the water as he put himself between Snoke and Luke. He had no idea what the hell he could do about two Force users battling it out, but he had a feeling that Ben might turn the tide, so to speak. The least he could do was to serve as a distraction until he got here.

"Get away from him, " Poe shouted with the sort of reckless bravado that had earned him a reputation as the best pilot in the New Republic's armed forces.

Snoke barely paid him any heed. A flicker of his fingers and Poe was tumbling headfirst into the lake.

As the water closed above him, he felt something large and fast rush past him. A second later, he was caught in the current Ben left behind. Putting his arms and legs into it, Poe used his momentum to propel himself forward, and when he came up for air, he was already close to the entrance of the cave.

Luke was running towards him, trying to escape the flailing mass of tentacles that was Ben and Snoke locked in battle. While Luke's lightsaber had been ineffective, Ben had no trouble taking hold of Snoke. The water around them was broiling with lashing limbs and thrashing bodies.

"Isn't there anything we can do to help him?" Poe demanded.

Luke grabbed his arm and drew him backward. "We've done all we can. It's up to Ben now to defeat him."

Time stretched into what felt like hours as they watched the two opponents fight for dominance. One minute Snoke was holding Ben down with half a dozen tentacles wrapping tightly around his head, a second later, Ben had gained the upper hand and torn one of the shadow tentacles off Snoke's body, which dissipated in the air.

Poe and Luke remained near the entrance of the cave, their legs ankle deep in water, wishing they could help.

A high-pitched wailing rang through the cave when Ben suddenly managed to wrap his tentacles around Snoke and heaved him into the air. He fell backward, Snoke clutched tightly in his embrace, water splashing everywhere as they sank beneath the surface.

"Ben!" Poe exclaimed as he dashed forward.

The water was receding, though the lake looked as if it was boiling.

Luke and Poe looked anxiously across the water.

The waves diminished until slowly, bit by bit the surface lay placid and calm before them. There was no sign of either Snoke or Ben anywhere to be found.

The two men exchanged a loaded look before Luke cast off his cloak and they both dove into the water.

In the end, it was Poe who found Ben floating unconsciously in the murky depths of the lake and dragged him back to the shore.

Luke joined him at the entrance of the cave, and together they laid his body on the ground. Ben was human again down to his chest, and as Poe breathed air into his lungs, the transformation receded further, the tentacles that had taken the place of his legs coming together to form human legs, pants, and boots.

His body convulsing on a choking cough, Ben spat water onto the ground.

He gasped and Poe pulled his back hard against his chest.

"Hey there, nerf herder. How are you feeling?"

Ben shot him an exasperated look and coughed up more water.

"Do you remember what happened?" Luke asked as he cradled his nephews face in his hands.

"I remember everything," Ben said hoarsely. He drew his knees up to his chest and greedily sucked air into his lungs.

"What happened to Snoke?" Poe asked. "Did you kill him?"

"I'm not sure if 'killed' is the right word for it, but I tore apart his presence in the Force."

"What does that mean?"

"I think it means that Snoke is cut off from the Force. He won't be able to wield it anymore," Luke replied.

Poe gave him a dubious look. "You _think_?" he asked meaningfully.

To his surprise, it was Ben who came to his defense. "No, I'm pretty sure he's right. There's are no voices in my head anymore, and when I reach out towards where Snoke forged a bond between us, I feel nothing but empty space surrounding him. I can still feel him, but I feel him the same way I feel you or anyone else who is not sensitive to the Force."

Poe made a low humming sound. "Well, let's call that a win, then," he said not entirely convinced that it actually was.

Ben looked up at him, a question in his eyes. "I can't believe the two of you did... what you did... for me," he said quietly.

Though Luke was blushing, he only shrugged. "You're my nephew, Ben, and I love you. I have failed you all these years. It was the least I could do to make it right." He gave Poe a meaningful look and stood up. "I'll give you some time to talk, while I'll pack up our belongings. I'd like to get back to the shuttle before nightfall."

An awkward silence descended over them once Luke had left.

"So," Ben began nervously.

"So," Poe echoed with a grin.

"You didn't have to do... all that, you know. I mean not that I'm not grateful..."

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Ben. Don't you think we're beyond that whole 'heated glances and awkward conversations' phase? You turned into an octopus. We fucked. I got pregnant and gave birth to an egg that held the Force presence of a Sith lord, who's been messing with your head since you were born. You fought, and now he's impotent, at least as far as the Force is concerned. It's been a really long week for both of us. Can't we just kiss and agree to see a therapist for the next fifty years?"

"Actually, Snoke isn't a Sith Lord," Ben said with a wry smile. "The Sith died out when..."

"Oh, shut up." Poe interrupted him and crushed his mouth to Ben's.

It might not have been the best kiss of his life, but it certainly was a promising beginning.

 


End file.
